Unicolored blackbird
| Unicolored blackbird | |
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| Species: | A. cyanopus
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| Binomial name | |
| Agelasticus cyanopus (Vieillot, 1819)
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Agelaius cyanopus Vieillot, 1819, Chrysomus cyanopus, | |
_(Male).JPG)
_(Female).JPG)
The unicoloured blackbird (Agelasticus cyanopus) is a species of bird in the Icteridae family.[2] It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. Its natural habitat is swamps.[1]
Description
The male unicoloured blackbird is befitting of its name, with entirely glossy black plumage and dark eyes. However, the species exhibits sexual dimorphism; the female is streaked brown and black with a yellow belly streaked with brown. The face has a dark mask and the wings are reddish-brown edged with black. Females from the lower Amazon region and southeastern Brazil have a generally duller colouration with less rufous wings and less yellow underparts. Its voice is a loud "tchew-tchew-tchew" which is sung from an elevated position. The male could be confused with the velvet-fronted grackle or the chopi blackbird.[3][4]
Distribution and habitat
The unicoloured blackbird is native to South America where its range extends from northern Bolivia and southern Brazil to northern Argentina, including much of the lower Amazon region. It is found in marshes and near the edges of ponds and lakes, and its altitudinal range is up to about 600 metres (2,000 ft).[4]
Behaviour
This bird usually occurs in pairs and is much less gregarious than the Chestnut-capped blackbird which is found in similar swampy habitat. It moves about on floating vegetation and forages among reeds, never straying far from water.[4]
Status
The total population of the unicoloured blackbird, at over 10,000 mature individuals, is believed to be stable and it has a very wide range. The bird seems to be facing no particular threats and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".[1]
References
- ^ a b c Template:IUCN
- ^ BirdLife International 2012. Unicolored Blackbird (Chrysomus cyanopus).
- ^ Jaramillo, Alvaro. 2010. Unicolored Blackbird (Agelasticus cyanopus), Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online: http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=671436
- ^ a b c Ridgely, Robert S.; Tudor, Guy (2009). Field Guide to the Songbirds of South America: The Passerines. University of Texas Press. p. 670. ISBN 978-0-292-71748-0.